Pneumatic tire.



PATBNTBD JUNE 4, '1907. v W. R. SMITH.

PNEUMATIQ TIRE. APPLIOATION FILED JUNE l, 1906.

the meeting ends of the' sectionsasseuibled sente a si portion e cle Wheel eii'ibodyipg iiiy iii- Ventron. lhg. represents a section on line 2-2 ,of Fig. l. Fig. 3 represents a' ei'spectreuren sriirss orre- WiLLiAM. R. sMrrii, or emerito, it ir roei; issie-feos or ousiiiiir To 'HERBERT H. HEWIQTI, GF BUFFAL'), YORK.

esssumeraorise.

Speeication of Letters eteiit. pplication tiled Time 1,190. Serlsl No. 3195710- Patented. June 4, 1907.

To alf/5 whom zit iitalg/ concern;

Be it known that i, VvTiLLiAM it. Shire, of Buifalorein the county oi Erie and State of New from, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Pneumatic Tires, of which the hillowing is e specir'icstion.

This invention relates to wheels int-ended partiouiarly for motor vehicles, and adaptedto carry heavy loads, and to Wheels having pneumatic tires composed oi independently inflated sections, each oi?- Whiclrr confines a charge. of air under pressure, end is csp able oit being 'applied and removed independently of the'other sections, so that the puncturing and deuticn of eey one section Will' not affeet the condition of 'the other sections, and constitutes e denis-ge which can be readily repaired by replacing the deeted section. Without 'lis irbing or re-iiii the other.

The invention has its object. iii'st to pro-y vide a sectional tire oi such construction that on ,the Wheelriinyforrgi cushionsedapted 'to sup ort the Weight ofthe wheelaiid its load, the ength of these aces being such that the cushions are relatively' lclose together, so that chords of thearcs of t ie'treed wells ci the sections between`the cushions fireoutside the corres ending portions fof the Wheel rim, the

result eilig that `in the event of deflation of any section-its" tread' will be prevented by the sections at its opposite ends troni sinkin inwerdlv 4far enough te come in'contiict with' the rigid Wheel rim, the crushing of the treed' between the wheel rim end the track being thus prevented,

The .invention also has for its object to provide improved inea-ns for detachebly securing the tire 'sections lto the vvheel rini;A

. The invention consists in tlie ini rovemeiits hereiiiefter described and clairiie @i the accompanying drawings, termin"Jh L part of .tl speciiicetion,-Figure i. relire on. partly in section', of a tive view of one of the tire sections" s iowii iny Figs. i aridi?. i represents e, view sinui-A lar to Fig'. t2, shoving e diiereiit embodiment et' my' iev. iticii; F 5 represents e fiasbectire View ci 1 section shown in 1g,

g air-cherribered tire sections, mede of suitable 'sitiori containing rubber.

ing the Wheel rim. Each section fried yell portion 17 side Well portions iti".l .l

,is connecting the base and trezu'lyvell .i-.ll prising a telly 12, which may be of Wood, and ainetal bend or tire i3 surrounding the telly. it will be understood, however, that so far as the general construction ot the Wheel is eon- 6o cei'ried, in respects not pointed out vin tbe claims or this application, any suitable and convenient construction may be ado ted. The wheel rim is provided With a perip ieral tire seat, which, in this case, is the outer sur- 'face of the band 13, and with relatively adjustable tire-base clamping members, here inafter described, rejecting from opposite sides of said seat. n this embodiment of the invciitiointhe clamping members are flanges 7o .is le secured to the wheel rim by bolts 15 passing through orifices formed for .their reception in the, ilanges and rir'n, said bolts having heads and nuts Which permit the ioosening and relative adjustment of the clamping members or 'of one o'l said members reiatively to the other. The portions of the 'clamping members which project outwardly from the rim are in this cese somewhat in# cliried, as shown iii Fig. 2 so that. they slightly overhang the tire seat of the Wheelhriin, and forni s dove-tailed space for the reception of the base portion of the tire. Ther Wheel is provided with s tire com posed of independent 85 eiastic material, such as rubber or acompo-- l V The sections arerr of segmental term, and are ebutted together,- end to end to form a continuous tire surroun d, comprises 9o au inner or base Wall-portion 16, shapedi.,o,, conform to the tire seat on the Wheel riiii l P f trous arie cud wall -portions 19 is) which a r v diete ironithe Wheel rim, tile ond Wall; .L' l u. tiene ebree sections-abutting together-,when. the sections areiii piece.y The base Wall pore tions 16 lieve edge faces which erershepedto. contorni to the inner ing ineiribers le.

thickness, their.v thickness` yThe lbase `wall. portions 1 x oi substantial being preferably about e uol- 'tou-the; Width. oi" the portions of the .camping -nieinbersy projecting from the tire seat. The1 iriormalfro'g. edtb. or the base Wall portions .i6 isprefer- V surfaces of the clamp-froci ably somewhat greater thany the width of the .tire seat, so thatthe adjustment of the clamping members to theiry clamping position Will involve a compression of the base -wallportion of the section. The thickness ofthe base wall portion is such that when it is under compression by the clamping members, it will not have a tendency to springer buckle outwardly from the tire seat. Each tire section is provided with means whereby it may be independently inflated, the means here shown comprising an air tube 20 havinan air-tight connection with the base wal 16- and extending through the latter and throughthe wheel rim, the said tube havinga suitablevvalveat'its outer en d ada ted to bel connected with an air-pump. he air tube andvalve may be any ofthe well-known required within the air/chambersof the sections. The relatively thick base walls of the sections', provided with faces conforming to the tire seat on the wheel rim and to clamping members which extend. along the'entire length of each section, and across the joints I Y between the sections, enable the sections to be firmly secured by the grasping and clamping pressure exerted upon their base portions by the); clamping .,menibers., 1n the event of the deflation of any ol the sections, it can be readily removed 'by loosening one formed for theirreception in the clamping tions of'thetire sections.

ofthe clamping members, and another section can be readily substituted for the remoyedsection.

in the construction shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the base'wall portion 16 i's provided inits .edges with grooves 21, adapted to receive tongues-or ribs 22, formed on outwardly projectingclamping members or flanges 23 24. The' clamping member 23 is formed .on the band 25. One edge of this band is provided with a ton ue or rib 26, which'engages a hook 27, `formedgou the inner edge of the clamping member 24.- Tlie clamping member 23 may extend continuouslyaround the wheel rim, but the clamipingmciriber 2 4 should be made in separable sections or segments, andare se? cured by bolts28 passing through ori'lices membersZB and 24, and in the base wall porc Toprevent injunous wear and chaingof the abutting ends ofthe tire sections, the said ends may be provided withl reinforcing pieces 30.,- wh'ich may be composed ocanvas or any other suitable ng material. The end walls l9 .thicknessthat the two abutting adjacent sections constitute, colsangue lectively, a radial cushion which is vadapted fore the' distance between the said cushions,-.

is such that the chords of the arcs ofthe segmental surfaces of the tread section are outA side the correspondin Aportion of the rigid Irim ofthe Wheel, as-in icated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, the line indicatim the chord of the are of the outer surface of he tread wall',

while the line y y indicates the chord of the arc of the inner surface of the tread Wall. It

will be seen, therefore, vthat in the event of f deflation of any section, its tread wallwill sink inwardly approximately as indicated by the lines :c andffy y, inward sinking beyond the extent indicated being dprevented by the walls of the secl end walls of the two,l

cushions formed by the en tions and the abuttin adjacent sections. T ese cushions support the entire weight of the- Wheel and its load, with the tread wall of the deilated section entirely free from contact with any ri id part ofthe wheel, so that there isno possi ilit of any part of the deflated section being it- -ten between the rigid`wheel rim 1and the track.

' I claim: i

1. A resilient pneumatic tire composed of a plurality oflsegmental air-chambered sections having tread, side, end, and inner or base wall portions, the latter having innerv faces conforming to the tire-sea of a Wheelrim, combined with a rigid whee rim having a seat fcr'fsaidiinner faces, and outwardly projecting clamping members or flanges at opposite sides of said seat engaged with the base @wall portions ofthe sections, the end walls of each section aiid the end alls of .the adjacent sections, ormingvcus ions adapted support the weight of the wheel and its load, the distances between. said cushions being such that chords of the arcs of the tread walls between the cushions are outside the corresponding portions'of the vclamping members, so that in the event of the deflation of any section, its tread will be prevented by the cushions'at the opposite ends of the deflated roo IICh

section from coming in ccntact with the clamping members.

2. An air-chambered tire section having resilient tread, side', end, and inner or base wall portions, the latter having-inner faces conforming to the tire face of 'a wheel rim, andedge faces formed to engage clamping members on the wheel rim, the thickness of the .said base wall portion being such as .to prevent lateral deflection orbuckling of thesadiportion by movement of its edge faces towar each other, the said end .wall portions having wear-resisting faeings whereby inj urious wear between the end wall portions of abutting sections is prevented.

3`- A pneumatir tire composed of u plurality of segmental sections having grooves in the inner faces of the sections, und provided i,

at one edge with e fixed ribbed 'lunge, and at the opposite edge with :in in\v:n ily1n'iji ]ectand bolts passing through seid Ganges and the int-ern'iediete portion of the tire, said bolts having l'ieads bearing on oneI of the flanges, und nuts bearing on the other flange, wherebyv the detachable flange may be udjusted toward or from the Afixed flange to 'chimp or release the sections.

4, An air-ehnnibered tire section, having tread, siole7 end, and inner orbese Wall portions, thelnttei having` e Seginentel inner` fece adapted to conform. to the tire of u wheel rini, the end well {.iortions being adepted to compera-te with the endiwzill poi'tioney of the adjacent Sections to form elishions when the seetionsire ussemiiled, the distzinee between the end Walle being such that n ifhorrl ing:r rib, zi detachable ribbed llange having n hooked inner edge lornied to engage vseid rib, j

ol the nivo 'of the trend well between the end weils is so fer outside the buse Weill :is lo pie vent Contact between the trend portion and rigid parts oi the 'vheel to which the section is adapted to applied, in the event of flevletion of the section.

In testimony whereof l have u-llixed my signet-ure, in presence of two \\'itnesses.

WILLIAM it. .5L/11TH'. Witnesses;

Joe. H. Binoiiwoon, fr W. Elimine-ioni'. 

